Reading While Eating for Aug. 7: Beatles and Bookworms

People release paper lanterns on the Motoyasu river facing the gutted Atomic Bomb Dome in remembrance of atomic bomb victims on the 67th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, in this photo taken by Kyodo, August 6, 2012. Mandatory Credit.

Athletic Gods: Sports have evolved from fighting for honor to fighting for a brand, argues author Stephen Amidon in his fascinating new book Something Like the Gods: A Cultural History of the Athlete From Achilles to LeBron. (Only a Game / Soundcloud)

Tome of the Day:Private Empire by Steve Coll describes how ExxonMobil and the oil and gas industry power the news cycle. (Columbia Journalism Review)

On the Road: See Jack Kerouac’s original sketch for a possible cover of his classic book. It was rejected. (The Daily What)

Dater-in-Chief: Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Here’s how U.S. presidents courted their sweethearts. (mental_floss)

Vintage: Check out these photos of some of the world’s great landmarks under construction. (Flavorwire)

‘Like’ Button: Here’s a look inside Facebook’s new headquarters, which includes a ’60s-style bar. (TIME.com)

Come Together: Listen to this mashup of The Beatles’ “Come Together” and Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok,” and you’ll never think about The Beatles the same way again. (BuzzFeed)

Hope and Change: A disenchanted Obama fan found solace in Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”: “The change I got is that I moved in with my mother.” (Viral Viral Videos)